Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-22

inc of railway be retarded or prevented.
As long, however, as counties townships or
sities are permitted to vote bonds for such
purposes, just so long will the bond-Voting
continue. One community VIII vote add
dOnal indebtedness on itself because II it
does aOt, 1t may lose advantages It has already
paid immense sums of money TO secure. In
this age, railroads make and EBmake cities
and towns, and hence a hOuFishing commu-
nifty, on whose commerce and Industries she
prosperity OF hundreds or thousands Of psO-
pie depend, may be destroyed by the build
ing of one or two railways. Confronted by
the alternative of voting bonds or of seeing
the accommodations and lRbors OF years de-
stroyeds the people, with OF without the ap.
pr0Vai of their judgment, vote the boz ds,"
They cannot afford tn do otherwise. 1t is,
On the one hand, the assumption CT bur
densome debt, or, on the other, the destEuc-
hon of all their hopes and. possibly, their
financial ruin.
If, however, all authority to vote bonds in
aid Of railroads was revoked except in
counties having no railway hnea within their
limits, this bond voting under dur6ss would
Bease. Such railroads as the carrying trade
Of the state Will support, and all lines de-
handed by legitimate business interests
would be built by honest railway enterprises,
without regard to local aid. Any other rail
roads than these are not, and never viii be,
Of advantage to the state. starving rail-
road is not q benehb-it is a curse to the
community it pretends to serve. Because
snch railways as those, or indeed, any line
Of railroad In excess Of the eaIrE1ng trade OF
country, retard and prevent th5 accom-
plishment of & result in which ali classes of
people are most largely interested, viz: the
speedy and constant reduction of freights
and fares to tbs lowest public limit.
am as anxious as any citizen can be that
syeTy section OF our state shall be provided
with the most abundant transportation IaCi-
lities. But, IN my Judgment, Kansas long
ago passed that stage or development when
bond-vOting stimulus was necessary to pro
mote the building OF any legitimate rail
road. AS long however, as authority to vote
bonds Is given by law, the railroad CON-
panies will make subsidies condition pre-
oedent to building roads, ana the people of
different countless townships and cities viii
be compelled to give the aid asked IN order
to protect their own local interests against
injury or destruction To repeal this au-
thOrity Will not prevent the building Of rail
roads, but it viii prevent the necessity Of
any further increase Of our already large
municipal Indebtedness.
ASSESSMENT AND TAzArI0E.
In my message to the Legislature of 1885,
attention was called to the serious defects
IN our laws providing for ths assessment
and equalization Of property values for
taxation. again invoke attention to this
welfare of the state and its taL-payers. The
present system is notOEiOHsly inadequate to
secure a fair or Just equalization OF the bur-
dens of government, state or local, and
Its defects were pointed out In my message
Of two years ago, and although some legisla-
lion was had, at that time, looking to their
correction, the remedies adopted were in
adequate.
I call your attention, In this connection,
% the Recommendation of the late state
treasurer touching this subject. he has
given it patient and inteligent study, and
lis experience with andfknoWledge of the
practical workings OF various system of as
se5sment, enable him to point out clearly
he evils of our present system, and 70 sug-
Eest such changes and reforms as are neces-
sary to abolish these evils. Mr.. Howe very
Tuely says that ''ths only defect in the
Kansas system of raising revenue Is IN the
assessment; the method of collecting taxes
San scarcely be improved"
PUEBLO EDUCATION.
The report of the state superintendent of
public instruction furnishes full information
concerning the development of our public
schOOl system. Tie school population or
the stats-persons between the ages of hVe
and tWenty-one years-is now 49, 7o5, an In
crease of sc, 585 over 1884. The scholars en-
rolled number 865, 239, an increase of g. 639
during the same period. The average daily
attendance was 219, sos, an increase of l2,-
$685. 1t will be observed that, notTithstand-
ing the ample educational facilities pro
Vided By the people of Kansas for the edu-
sation of our youth, less than ODe-half Of
the school population attends the public
schools. These figures however, hardly
serve as q fair illustration of non-attend-
ance. Few parents deem it wise to subject
children under seven years OF age to the
confinement or discipline OF the school
room, and, except in a few OF the larger
eities, where high schools are provided,
boys and girls over sixteen OF seventeen
years of age rarely attend the district
NE teachers employed in 1884 numbered
S,342; those employed in 1886 numbered
1887. The average wages paid teachers,
rT1ntaa I'D OBS faTnElea-
1886. There has been steady increase In
teachers salaries, for many years past.
There are in Kansas 6,791 school houses,
having a total Of 6, $50 rooms, and valued at
sc, $50, 757. School buildings costing 81, O93,-
O42 have been erected during the past two
The receipts and expenditures for school
purposes during the school year ended July
Dist, 1886, we're as follows:
Observation-Disclosures IN district treasures
August LIST, 1885, S5l9, 25L36j amount re-
esiVsd from county treasurers from district
tsxes, s., $50, 616.76: from state and county
sshool funds, S4OS, 1887; from sale OF
gthooI bonds, S7I3, 79A66, from all Othel
sources, S174. 969.34i making total Of S4,-
476, 791. 90.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. paid for teachers
wages and supervision, S2,2l5,52l' 45i 70 To-
rents, repairs. fuel and incidentals, 1854,
T25 81; for district libraries and school ap
paratus, Sol, $50 10; for sites, building auC
furniture. 1888 o. and for all other pur
bosoa Sis, 745.O9, making total Of $5,s49,
on, 90, leaving in hands Of distrist treesur
srs, July Slsts 1886, balance Of S62l ,4I4.lu
The suggestions ana recommendations OF
the state superintendent, touching the IN
Sestment Of permanent school funds, coun-
81 institutes, and changes IN schOo! laws
are respectfully commended to your atten-
ton.
HIGHER SCHOOLS.
The three great educational institutions
Of the state, the University at LeWreDce,
the Agricultural college at MAMMA ttan, and
the Normal school at EmpOria, are all IN a
prosperous condition, with steadily IN
Crsasing enrolment of students constantly
improving appliances for educational work
and rapidly expanding fields of usefulness.
They are all jushfyings by their results, the
| confidence and generous support OF the PEG
pie, and the state can afford TO be LIBERAL
though not extraVEgant, in providing for
| their up-building.
Phe permanent fund of the university
aOW aggregates Sill, 210.92j that OF the Nor
nal school, S73, 1921; and that OF the Az
dcuitural college, $50, OS6.33. All Of these
/ funds viii be somewhat increased by sales
IF lands belonging to them.
There are complaints, occasionally, that
[ The ct tte has not been liberal IN providing
/ facilities for the higher education Of its
youth. These complaints are not well
4 founded Since the admission Of Kansas,
| he appropriations made to these three IN
/ ItitudOns, for buildings and current eZpen-
Ies, have aggregated 81, 025, SO4.
/ The State Unigersity.-Ih reports Of the
! regents and other officers of the university
/ furnish full information concerning the con-
! dit1on, prospects and needs Of that institu-
/ ion. The university is steadily growing a.
| usefulness, and the high rank it has attained
among the great educational institutions Of
/ the country ought to be, to our people, 9
sOarcs Of universal pride. During the last
! hscal year 4I9 students were II attendance,
Notwithstanding the fact that several Of the
| lower classes had been Discontinued.
| The legislature, at It's regular session, ap.
prOpriatsd $4,000 for the erection Of a
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